


When the Light Shines In

by chazz_anova



Series: When the Light Shines In [1]
Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-01-26 11:03:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21373087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chazz_anova/pseuds/chazz_anova
Summary: Something I've been thinking about for a while, a soulmates AU where soulmates share a specific mark on the same place on their bodies. Unfortunately for John, he isn't exactly happy about the development.
Relationships: John Seed & Original Female Character(s)
Series: When the Light Shines In [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540843
Kudos: 18





	1. Hell hath no fury like a deputy scorned

It was another hectic day in Hope County, but Veronica Rook was getting pretty used to chaos being the norm. From the moment she stepped out of that helicopter to arrest Joseph Seed, her life had been trapped in a downwards spiral. After Dutch Roosevelt had saved her from falling into the hands of the nefarious Eden's Gate cult, she'd been constantly on the run helping build up the resistance and planning on how to deal with the Seed family (none of whom she was too keen on murdering). Before she'd come here on the warrant for The Father, she had never even discharged her weapon in the line of duty, and now her kill count was in the dozens and rising. She wondered sometimes if she was a monster, or broken somehow. She was especially questioning herself right now as she sat in a hunting blind just a few miles from the Henbane River, watching the broadcast that John Seed (the youngest of the Seed brothers) had aired only a few days ago. "Don't worry… we'll come for you." His final chilling words wrapping up the monologue about the 'power of yes'. Veronica paused the video, gazing into the cold blue eyes on the screen.  _ 'How can someone so pretty be so crazy?'  _ She wondered. This was not the first time she had rewatched this video, and revisited that particular thought. The first time Veronica saw John; she had been just as mesmerized by him- which was part of the reason she was questioning her sanity and avoiding Holland Valley like the plague. "Whatcha doin' Ronnie?" The sudden voice made the deputy jump, hitting her head on the top of the blind with a solid thud. "Do you always have to try to scare the shit out of me Sharky?" She asked, standing and rubbing her temple with a frown. He just shrugged- offering a playful smile "Do you always have to make it so easy?" Veronica replied by punching him lightly in the shoulder and shaking her head, "Whatever, loser."

"You won't be calling me a loser once we smoke some of this hydroponic shit!"

Sharky pulled a ziplock bag from his pocket and shook it in front of Veronica's face, which she promptly snatched from him to examine. "That'll do pig, that'll do!" She grinned after smelling the contents, her problematic feelings for John cast away for the moment. 

An hour later, after making quick work of a couple joints, the duo sat on the plaid couch in Sharky's trailer, watching a recorded rerun of America's Funniest Home Videos. "Man, a year ago if someone had told me I'd be smoking weed with a pyromaniac to take the edge off the intense civil war I was a figurehead in, I'd probably smack 'em." Veronica muttered and watched a cat half jump half fall through a baby gate on the small TV. Sharky nodded, digging his hand in a bag of chips while nonchalantly replying "You're definitely not what I expected for being a lawman!" Next to him, she let out an exasperated sigh "That's my point! Before this shit, I rarely smoked or drank, and definitely didn't have a fucking license to kill! I was just a normal person, trying and actually succeeding in making the best life I could for myself!" Her companion sat up a little straighter, discarding his snack and giving her his full attention "Dep, life is crazy. One minute you're a normie, and the next you're a cultist slaughtering machine with the fate of Hope County on your shoulders! I can't fix your problem or untangle your feelings about all this shit, but I can go get you a beer, roll you a blunt, and sit here with you while you try to make sense of it all." He gave her a sympathetic smile, and she nodded "Well I won't turn an offer like that down. You know, sometimes you make this shit seem as normal as can be. I'm not sure if it's helping the problem or not but at least I know you mean well, and you'll let me ramble about it until the cows come home." Standing, he patted her on the shoulder and commented "Someone's gotta keep your head straight, V!" 

Though Veronica was still feeling bleak about her situation, she was thankful for him being by her side as she mused on it and they whittled the day away with jokes and meaningless conversation between the important bits- giving her some reprieve from her thoughts. After Sharky had gone to bed, and she was settling down into the somewhat scratchy couch in his living room- she heard her radio humming. With a sigh and some dramatic flourish; the tired deputy pulled out the device and extended the antenna, expecting to hear someone from the resistance on the other end since it was set to her private channel. Instead, she hears the voice of someone at the center of her shifting morals- John Seed. "Deputy… I hope you're listening, my men took a great deal of pain finding out which frequency could be used to contact you privately." She immediately sat at attention, her heart pulsing through her body and making her voice shaky "What do you want?" 

"I'm offended deputy! I make a video just for you and then you run off to ignore me for Faith. Do you not care for your friend Deputy Hudson?" He mused, his voice almost melodious.  _ 'Well it's not like I can tell him I don't want a part of this, or that I'm having second thoughts…'  _ She thought while debating on what to say. The radio crackled to life once more- "Nothing to say? I suppose Hudson and I aren't interesting to you… maybe I have something better for catching your attention then." In the background she heard what sounded like a raspy squeak, then the noise grew louder and an enraged roar that she would recognize anywhere blasted through the speaker. "Peaches??" She spoke to the cougar hurriedly, her breath catching and icy fear gripping her heart. A menacing chuckle answered her "Yes, that's what I've been told the beast's name is. She's quite unruly! I suppose that's why you're so close." Silence settled upon the trailer as Veronica took a few breaths to steady herself, she felt warm anger seeping into her, and deadly intentions blooming in her mind as she gathered herself. "John, I'd recommend from this moment on, you start watching your back. Be afraid of any noises you hear in the dark of night, because I'm coming for you. For every hair that's out of place on her, you will pay with broken bones." A steely resolve came over her as she turned off the radio before he had a chance to reply. Veronica hopped off the couch, slinging on her various holsters and the arsenal that went with them. A moment later, she was shaking a snoring Sharky from his dead slumber. Once his eyes opened and he saw her- he startled and asked "Who shat in your cereal, V?" She spoke low and carefully, not trusting herself not to start shouting "John has Peaches, and we're going to get her back." Sharky's eyes widened and he nodded "Give me a second, and we'll hit the road!" She released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, "Thank you.. I knew you would understand." 

"Oh I understand, I understand that John doesn't know who he's fucking with." 

Only ten minutes later, the pair was burning rubber speeding towards Holland Valley to save their feline companion, and they both knew they wouldn't be coming back without blood on their hands. 


	2. The Belly of the Beast

Veronica’s hand tightened on the wheel of her ‘73 Pygmalion SSR as she barreled towards the bridge that crossed into Holland Valley. “You know, I’m always down for reckless driving but you’re making me have to grab the ‘oh shit’ handle pretty hard.” Sharky commented, going airborne in his seat for a moment as they flew over a particularly large bump in the road. “Trust me, I’d be driving like a bat out of hell for you too.” The deputy replied quietly, barely contained rage lurking underneath the visage of calm. Knowing when to back down, her partner said nothing. 

As they were crossing the Bridge of Tears- they spotted a roadblock just a few yards away. “Hold the wheel.” Veronica instructed. Sharky quickly took control of the vehicle as she leaned out of the window with her custom painted grenade launcher. In quick succession, she shot off two grenades- demolishing three cult trucks and blasting away the frail wooden barriers that had been constructed. Peggies started screaming as the chain reaction of explosions quickly engulfed everything in fire. “Nice shot!” Sharky held out a closed fist, and Veronica bumped it with her own before taking the wheel once more. Heat accosted them as they sped through the wreckage and fire licked at the tires on the Pygmalion, but the mask of determination on Veronica’s face didn’t slip for a moment. 

About an hour later, the duo was stopped at a gas station refilling an empty tank. Sharky sat in the passenger seat as Veronica kept an eye on the surrounding area.  _ ‘That’s weird…’  _ She thought as she saw a few peggie trucks pass by without stopping to investigate her flashy car. As she gazed out farther, she thought she saw movement at the treeline across the road. “Hey, did you see somethi-” Veronica was abruptly cut off by a sharp pain in her thigh, and she looked down to see red blossoming through her jeans. Sharky jumped out of the car with his shotgun at the ready, shouting “Dep!”. V had just enough time to turn and see a sizeable green bullet hit him directly in the chest. As she reached out to him, the world swam in green and her vision was in streamers of color before there was only blackness. 

The deputy awoke from Bliss infused dreams to a loud grinding noise and a dull ache where the Bliss bullet had hit her. Upon blinking furiously to clear her vision, she was able to take in her surroundings. A red light bathed the sparsely decorated room, and the only furniture appeared to be a few chairs, a lamp, and a workbench where an imposing figure was sharpening a knife on a medieval looking grinder. Abruptly, the grinder clicked off and the figure turned revealing John Seed himself. 

He flashed a dastardly smile upon seeing Veronica awake, and strode over to her. “Why hello deputy, I’ve just been getting some tools prepared for your atonement! Are you excited?” He bent down closer to her, that smug look never leaving his face. When she said nothing he continued. “You were such a good girl, playing right into my hands. Did you believe my patrols wouldn’t report your presence? Or, even better, did your wrath cloud your vision so much you had no plan?” Veronica glared daggers at him and he just shook his head with a chuckle. “Of course that’s what happened. You’re a sinner, and sinners must atone!” John grinned at her, dragging another chair from a dark corner to face her before easing into it. He scooted even closer, their faces almost touching. “You will wear your sin for all to see, just as I do deputy.” Deciding she’d had enough, Veronica smiled at him, though she was sure it looked like a snarl, and spat in his face. Upon contact, John stood so abruptly that his chair toppled over, and he lashed out quickly delivering a stinging slap so hard V saw stars for a moment. “How dare you.” His tone was low and dangerous. True to form, she replied “Sorry, I value my personal space.” The baptist practically turned red and he grabbed his freshly sharpened knife, whipping around to face her. “You won’t think this is so funny once my blade has marred your skin.” 

He walked over and grasped the front of her shirt, ripping it open. Buttons flew to all corners of the room as he exposed Veronica’s chest, and turned on the lamp to swivel and point it at her. Once the light was in place, the fierce expression he’d held melted into something far too intimate for the situation. “Geez, buy me dinner first…” She spoke and averted her gaze, cheeks flushing a deep pink. The knife clattered to the ground, and she turned back to him to find a finger pointed at her torso just below her breasts. “What is that…?” He asked slowly, a fine tremor running through his voice. Veronica looked where he was pointing with her brow furrowed, “It’s a birthmark.” As she responded, uncertainty washed over her in waves. The birthmark was an almost perfect circle with an equally precise ring around it. When she was younger, she’d wondered why it was so rare to see birthmarks that were so uniform, but eventually she accepted it as part of her body and hadn’t thought of it in years. 

Now she watched John’s face fill with dismay and confliction. As he absentmindedly rose a hand to his own torso, softly he whispered “But how?” Before abruptly turning and storming off, leaving the deputy alone. Goosebumps developed on her chest as she sat there astounded.  _ ‘He totally lost his cool, what the hell? And what do I do now…’  _ She frowned, trying to decide if she could use this opportunity to escape. Veronica strained her ears, but she only heard the buzz of nearby machinery and an awful plan formed in her mind.  _ ‘This is gonna be a bitch.’  _ Grimacing, she took a deep breath and prepared herself. 

The chair she was strapped to teetered from side to side as she threw her weight left and right, hoping to land on the left side where John had fortunately discarded his knife. Finally, the chair toppled over and she took a sharp breath before landing with a sickening crack as the weight of the wood landed square on her left wrist. She bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood, trying to stifle her pained scream. Slowly and painfully, she removed her limp wrist from its bindings- creating enough slack in the rope to free her right hand. Tears cascaded down her face from the pain and effort as she grabbed the abandoned knife to free her feet. 

Eventually, Veronica was standing and began making her way out of the room  _ ‘I’ve still got to find Sharky and Peaches… and hopefully John so I can gut him.’  _ She thought, surprisingly calm at the prospect of traipsing through a peggie infested bunker. Emerging from the room, she immediately saw one guard standing in front of the doorway, facing away from her. She made sure there were no other cultists- then tightened her grip on the knife before plunging it clumsily into his neck. Ruby colored blood sprayed forth as he tried to scream but choked on his own fluids, his body crumpled to the ground in a heap and Veronica tried to think away the awful feeling in her gut as she began the slow process of looting him one-handed for his pistol and ammo.  _ ‘The only way out is through.’  _ She reassured herself before continuing forward. In the back of her mind, she felt as though she were wading deeper into a black abyss from which she wouldn’t be able to escape simply by going through. 


	3. A Narrow Escape

John’s bunker was dank and smelled of rusted metal. Veronica had sinched his knife to her belt, and held the pistol she’d just acquired loosely. Red hot pain continued to shoot through her wrist, making her wince and cradle the limb against her. Though it ailed her- she pushed forward. 

About fifteen minutes later, after going in a circle twice and miraculously not running into anymore guards, she came upon a row of cells and heard yelling from one down the line. “I’m gonna fuck you guys up! Just let me outta here, and you’ll have to deal with the wrath of Charlemange Victor Boshaw!” Shouted Sharky before abruptly stopping as Veronica pulled the lever next to his door and the cell opened. “That’s a name that’ll strike fear into anyone’s heart.” She said rather sarcastically, a wave of relief washing over her as she saw he was unharmed. He grinned, stepping out as his gaze slid down to her chest, “Nice fashion statement.” Sharky chuckled. Mortified- Veronica remembered the youngest Seed tearing her shirt open and she scrambled to cover herself, to no avail. “Whatever, fuck modesty! We have to find Peaches and get out of here.” She said, turning to walk back down the hallway. As her companion followed, he asked “What the hell happened?” She quickly filled him in on the escape, mentioning “That creep freaked out when he saw my chest…”

“Well geez, dep, I don’t think he was  _ that  _ surprised to see boobs.” 

“If I didn’t have a broken wrist I would punch you. No, he freaked out about my birthmark.Who knows why.. he’s a psycho.” Sharky cut her off mid stride, stopping in front of her “Woah woah, what birthmark?” Veronica’s brow furrowed and she pointed to the spot on her torso, “Here… why?” He started laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world before composing himself again. “Oh man, I’m sorry, that’s too rich… pretty bad for you though, wow.” She glared at him, unamused until he began an explanation. “You remember that legend about finding your ‘true love’? How when two people are perfect for each other in every way, they’re born with the same oddly precise marking?” Taken aback, the brunette shook her head and put her hands out as if to steady herself. “It sounds familiar… there’s no way… what’re you trying to say?” 

“What if you and John fuckin’ Seed have the same birthmark?” 

An array of emotions crossed Veronica’s features; anger, a hint of sadness, disbelief. “That’s just a silly folktale. No one believes that.” She replied indignantly. Sharky moved out of her way with a shrug, responding “Sounds like John might!” She shook her head, snapping “Drop it!” Before marching forward. For once, Sharky took the hint. 

The pair had steadily been moving up through the bunker, taking out guards as stealthily as possible. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Peaches. They came upon a cluster of guards chatting “... that damn cat, even the pen outside won’t hold her anymore. That thing’s gone crazy.” Sharky and Veronica were crouched behind a Bliss container, making a plan- “Well, all we have to do is get outside and get Peaches. Thank god she’s still alive!” Veronica sighed, a weight off her shoulders. “We just gotta make sure she stays that way.” Sharky nodded, and put a hand over hers reassuringly. “Now, what do we do about these assholes?” 

“Easy. We kill them.” Veronica stood from their hiding place, lifting her handgun and shooting off four quick rounds just as the guards noticed her. Two of the shots hit home in guard’s chest and another’s stomach, but the other two weren’t fatal. Sharky popped up with a revolver he’d gotten from a guard earlier and finished the last two guards as they were about to start shooting. 

Blood spilled out onto the platform, and one of the guards sputtered as he tried to breathe through a perforated lung. Veronica strode over to him- staring down into dull grey eyes. “B-Brother John is going to get you… no matter where you run… he’s going to make you atone..” He said, so sure of himself in his final moments. “Then I guess for now, I’ll just raise as much hell as possible.” She raised her gun and shot him once more, blasting fragments of skill and brain into the growing puddle of blood. 

Without pause, the deputy continued for the stairs that would eventually lead them outside. Sharky speed walked to catch up, grasping her shoulder with one hand, “You okay, V?” She shook her head, a smile creeping across her face. “I’m a junior deputy and I just shot a man in the head as I stared into his eyes.”

“Uh.. yeah, that’s kinda why I was asking if you’re oka-”

“I am an officer and I just shot a man in the head with no foreseeable consequences. He wasn’t the first, and he won’t be the last. I’ve slaughtered dozens if not  _ hundreds  _ of men and women. How can I be okay Sharky? I can look someone in the face, blow their literal brains out, and feel nothing. I’m a monster!” 

Sharky put both hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes, “Veronica Genevive Rook you are not a monster. You are saving people, making a difference!” Her eyes were wide and fear covered her features. “What if The Father is right? What if he’s right, and I’m not saving anyone.. but dooming us all?” He shook his head and pulled her in for a hug, whispering in her ear “Even if we’re doomed, at least we’re free.” When he pulled away, he patted her shoulder and said “Now c’mon, we got a pussy to save.” Veronica shook herself, took a deep breath, and given purpose once more the duo continued their journey up the stairs. 

The sun was blinding as it glared off the metal bunker- Sharky pushed open the door and led them into all that brightness. Squinting at the sun, Veronica lifted her arm to shield her eyes as she forgot her injury for a moment. A pained gasp escaped her and the muscles in her wrist spasmed uncooperatively. In the distance, there was a high fence of chain link and a group of men were gathered in a circle, laughing at something. “Over there!” Sharky gestured, and they speeded over- hunkered down to avoid detection. 

What they saw was Peaches on the ground in the middle of them, surrounded by green smoke. Rage filled Veronica as she watched one of them kick the cougar, and she broke out into a full sprint towards them- shooting off her last few rounds before discarding the gun and pulling the knife from her belt. Only a few bullets had hit, none fatally, but as Veronica charged the peggies; Sharky shot at them as well, taking down three of the six before jumping into the frey. The deputy hacked and slashed in a fury, seeing red as the freshly sharpened blade did its deadly work.

When all the guards were dead or maimed, Veronica collapsed on her knees in front of Peaches. The lion opened one eye to look at her, and mewed pitifully. “What do we do, what do we do…” She murmured while stroking the beast. Sharky picked up one of the discarded guns from the ground, shouting “V, we got company!” 

She turned to see the entrance to the bunker wide open- and dozens of peggies spilling out.  _ ‘We’re done…’  _ Was Veronica’s last thought before she heard brakes squeal, a car door open, and a machine gun firing rapidly. Her head snapped up to see a man running towards them and behind him, a Jeep with a mounted gun. “Wh-” She started to talk before the man reached them, and took one glance at her limp wrist then yelled “Sharky, help me with Peaches! You, run!” They each obeyed orders, Veronica jumping into the passenger seat to see Tracey Lader next to her. “You sure are a sight for sore eyes!” Veronica said, shaking her head in awe. Sharky and the other man bundled Peaches into the back seat, and a hail of gunfire hit the side of the Jeep as Tracey floored it. 

Once John’s bunker was out of sight, Veronica asked Tracey “How did you know?” 

“Well, once we only had radio silence from you, we stopped in at Sharky’s trailer where  _ one  _ of you bothered to leave a note.” Sharky popped up between the seats, saying “That would be me!” Before she continued, “Anyways! When we couldn’t find you, we had to find a way to make one of John’s VIPs more chatty, and voila. Rescue mission complete.” The other man popped up from the back seat, “We definitely didn’t expect you to have already saved yourself! Name’s Scott by the way.” Veronica turned and nodded to him- “Thank you guys… you really saved our hides.” Her gaze shifted to Peaches, whose breathing had gotten more shallow. “Hold on girl…” She pleaded, one hand buried in her coarse coat. 

The car skidded to a stop in front of the Hope County Jail, and everyone hopped out. Tracey ran ahead and held the door for Scott and Sharky who were rushing Peaches to the in-house vet, Dr. Charles Lindsey. Virgil Minkler popped out of his office, following the commotion and asking what happened. 

Peaches was lain on the vet’s operating table, and Veronica spoke first, “Fix her, now.” Charles looked overwhelmed looking down on the quickly fading feline. “B-But I’ve never worked on a cougar! House cats yes but-” He was cut short by the tip of a knife appearing in front of his face, V on the other end. “Fix her, or you’ll be stitching yourself back together piece by piece.” She said each word slowly, malice dripping from each syllable. Sharky pushed the blade out of the way, standing between them with his hands raised. “Hey, dep, let’s go for a walk okay? Right now.” He urged her away, but her gaze still held a death sentence if her orders were disregarded. 

They stepped outside into the chilly night air, and Sharky spoke first “What the hell was that?” 

“I-I don’t know. I just feel helpless, she trusted me to keep her safe. She had faith in me and I let her get stolen from under my nose. I can’t lose her.” 

“Okay, fair, but threatening people with a big ass knife is not a good communication tactic, Ronnie.” 

She chuckled, replying “I guess not. It was just the stress of the day, hell the stress of my  _ life. _ Plus I really don’t like that guy, so whatever. I’m calm now, I just lost my cool.” Her friend judged her for a moment, “Okay… just let me know if you’re feeling any more inappropriate murderous urges.” 

“I will. What a fucking day, man.” 

“You’re telling me… are we gonna talk about the whole soulmates with John Se-” Veronica swiftly covered his mouth, a look in her eyes that could freeze over hell. “No, we aren’t talking about that asshole, because that stuff isn’t real. Now- I really need to get a new shirt.” She released him, and pulled her ruined garment closer across her chest as a breeze blew through the courtyard of the jail. 

Finally, freshly clothed and armed, V walked out of the cell that had been appointed as hers where she kept a few changes of clothes and a stash of weapons. She almost ran straight into Scott from earlier, and narrowly avoided contact with her damaged wrist. His eyes held a bewildered look, and he spoke quickly “You gotta come with me, it’s Peaches…” As he turned- she grabbed his wrist and asked “What’s wrong? Is she okay??” The man took in a long, slow breath, “She’s okay, but that’s kind of the problem… she’s different… you just have to see!” Since it was clear he wouldn’t answer any more questions, Veronica followed after him hurriedly as icy fear clawed its way up through her body. 


End file.
